Sports

WVU Sports Hall of Fame Class Selected

Published

4 months ago

August 22, 2025

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Six outstanding contributors to Mountaineer athletics make up the 35th class of honorees in the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame, announced today by Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker.

The class of 2025 includes Chelsea Carrier-Eades (track & field), Bill Kirelawich (football), Pat McAfee (football), Bill Stewart (football), Darrell Whitmore (baseball/football) and Petra Zublasing (rifle). This class brings the total number of inductees to 243.

Induction ceremonies will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, prior to the West Virginia-Utah football game.

Chelsea Carrier-Eades

Chelsea Carrier-Eades is one of the most decorated track & field athletes in school history, earning eight All-America honors from 2008-12.

In 2010, the Buckhannon, West Virginia, native earned her first and second All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her first came after a fourth-place showing in the pentathlon, finishing with 4,133 total points. Later in the day, Carrier-Eades earned her second with a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.29).

That year, she was named the Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year after earning two Big East champion honors and breaking the school record in the pentathlon at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge with 4,136 points, eclipsing the school record previously set by All-American and WVU Sports Hall of Famer Pat Itanyi (4,111).

In 2011, Carrier-Eades earned first team All-America honors in the heptathlon after placing third with 5,761 points and third team All-America honors in the 100-meter hurdles after placing 19^th in 13.56 seconds. Once again, Carrier-Eades was named the Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year after winning three individual Big East titles in the long jump, 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles.

During the indoor season, Carrier-Eades earned All-America honors in the 60-meter hurdles with a fourth-place finish in 8.08 seconds, besting her personal best of 8.15 seconds. She notched another All-America award in the pentathlon with a fifth-place finish, scoring 4,128 points.

Her junior campaign saw her break school records in the 60-meter hurdles, pentathlon, 100-meter hurdles and the heptathlon. She also participated in the USA Track and Field Championships, finishing 16^th in the semifinals round in a time of 13.04 seconds.

In 2012, she notched All-America awards in the heptathlon and the 100-meter hurdles. Carrier-Eades placed third in the heptathlon with 5,839 points and seventh in the hurdles in 13.31. She ran a career and school-best 12.78 in the 100-meter hurdles during the semifinals at NCAAs and won the heptathlon for a second consecutive year at the Texas Relays.

Carrier-Eades still holds WVU school records in the 60-meter hurdles (8.08, 2011), pentathlon (4,170, 2011), 100-meter hurdles (12.78, 2012) and heptathlon (5,927, 2011).

In all, Carrier-Eades was an 11-time NCAA individual qualifier and a 10-time Big East champion.

Outside of WVU, Carrier represented Team USA at the Thorpe Cup in Germany and finished third in the heptathlon and competed in the USA Olympic Trails and numerous professional events.

In high school, Carrier-Eades won 11 state championships in track, was a two-time Gatorade Athlete of the Year and multiple winning of the Ray McCoy Awards, given annually to the top amateur track & field athlete in West Virginia. She was inducted into the Buckhannon-Upshur Hall of Fame.

Carrier-Eades received her bachelor’s degree from WVU in child development and family studies with a certification in special education.

She married her high school sweetheart, Wesley Eades, and they have four children, Tristan (7), Brecken (5), Nolan (3) and Evie (1). After retiring from her professional track & field career in 2016, she became a certified personal trainer/group instructor and currently works from home with a new wellness business while raising her children.

Bill Kirelawich

Bill Kirelawich, the winningest assistant football coach in WVU history, spent 32 years at West Virginia from 1979-2011.

During that time, Kirelawich was part of 23 bowl appearances, including some of WVU’s top bowl wins and national championship appearances in school history, culminating with WVU’s win over Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl.

Kirelawich joined Frank Cignetti’s staff in 1979 before joining Don Nehlen’s staff in 1980 as a defensive line coach. He coached the defensive line from 1980-87, outside linebackers from 1988-90, the defensive line from 1991-00 and was an administrative assistant in 2001-02. Kirelawich was then the defensive line coach on Rich Rodriguez‘s staff from 2003-07, Bill Stewart’s staff from 2008-10 and Dana Holgersen’s staff in 2011.

In 2010, Kirelawich was named the FootballScoop.com’s National Defensive Line Coach of the Year with Bruce Irvin finishing second in the country in sacks. In 1996, the Mountaineer defense ranked first nationally in total defense, second in rushing defense and fourth in scoring defense. The 2005 team ranked 13^th in scoring defense, the 2006 team ranked 13^th nationally in rushing defense, the 2007 team ranked seventh in total defense and eighth in scoring defense and the 2008 team ranked 11^th in scoring defense.

His lines helped the Mountaineer defense lead the Big East in rushing defense and scoring defense four times. Kirelawich coached eight first-team All-Big East selections, including at least one each of the last four years and eight second-team honorees. He coached five All-Americans (Johnny Dingle, Bruce Irvin, Chris Neild, John Thornton and Henry Slay).



Kirelawich also coached numerous professional players: Todd Campbell, Johnny Dingle, Keilen Dykes, David Grant, Bruce Irvin, Pat Marlatt, Jim Merritts, Chris Neild, Henry Slay, Renaldo Turnbull and John Thornton, and recruited the likes of Anthony Becht, John Bertram, Aaron Beasley, Noel Devine, Rick Gilliam, Jake Kelchner, Irvin, Kurt Kehl, Chris Neild, Chris Parker, Lovett Purnell, Bo Orlando, Tom Robsock, Freddie Smalls, Steve Slaton, Thornton, Kevin White and Grant Wiley.



A native of Frackville, Pennsylvania, Kirelawich was a standout linebacker at Salem College under WVU Sports Hall of Fame member Donnie Young. The senior captain led the Tigers to an 8-1 record and a top 20 NAIA national ranking. His 89-yard interception return stands as a school record. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Salem in 1969 and was inducted into the Salem Hall of Fame in 2006.



Kirelawich began his coaching career, serving as the head coach at Cardinal Brennan (Pa.) High from 1970-78. He had nine players sign scholarships at Division I schools and his 1975 team was ranked No. 10 in Pennsylvania. Following his WVU career, he served as a defensive line coach for Rodriguez at Arizona.



Kirelawich and his wife, Maggie, have three children, Miki, Billy and Jake, and five grandchildren.

Pat McAfee

Pat McAfee was one of the top kickers and punters in the Big East Conference, as well as the nation, from 2005-08.



The native of Plum, Pennsylvania, handled the team’s punting, kickoff, extra point and field goal duties. During his career, McAfee was named a CBSSports.com First Team All-American, Walter Camp Football Foundation Second Team All-American, Associated Press Third Team All-American, Ray Guy Award finalist, Lou Groza Award semifinalist and played in the Under Armour Senior Bowl.



McAfee was a four-time bowl winner: 2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator, 2008 Fiesta and 2008 Car Care. He set the WVU career records for most games played (51), scoring (384), kick scoring (384) and extra points made (210), was third in punting average (43.7) and field goals made (58) and eighth in number of punts (126). He held the Big East records for most extra points made, was second on the all-time scoring list, second in punting average and third in field goals made. At the conclusion of his career, he was tied for 22^nd in overall scoring and 16^th among kickers in NCAA history.



As a senior in 2008, McAfee hit a career long 52-yard field goal against Villanova and then again against Cincinnati to send the game into overtime. He was one of two players that season to hit two or more 50-yard field goals. McAfee averaged 44.7 yards per punt with a season long of 65 yards and hit all 36 extra points.



In his junior season, he was the second-leading scorer on the team with 103 total points. McAfee had 12 points on two field goals and six extra points against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.



In 2006, McAfee hit a 51-yard field goal at Pitt, which at the time, was the longest (college or pro) in then-Heinz Field history. He made all 62 extra points that season and made four field goals in the triple-overtime win against Rutgers, including one less than a minute in regulation.



McAfee earned the job on placements and kickoffs as a true freshman in 2005 and was named the Big East Player of the Week against Maryland.

McAfee was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He made two Pro Bowl appearances, was an All-Pro in 2014 and played in Super Bowl XLIV in his rookie year during an eight-year NFL career.



McAfee retired from football in 2017. He has hosted The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, is an analyst on College GameDay and is a color commentator and occasional wrestler for the WWE.



In high school, McAfee was first team all-conference at Plum High and ranked as the No. 1 kicker in the nation by Scout.com. He was the 2003 national Punt, Pass and Kick champion and won the One-on-One kicking competition in Miami with a 65-yard field goal. McAfee was a three-time first team All-WPIAL in soccer.



McAfee and his wife, Samantha, have one child, Mackenzie, and live in Indianapolis.



Bill Stewart

Bill Stewart, best known as Coach Stew, led WVU to one of the greatest bowl wins in school history and had a .700 winning percentage as a head football coach from 2009-11.



After guiding WVU to a remarkable 48-28 victory against Oklahoma in one of the most memorable and significant wins in school history at the 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Stewart was named WVU’s 33rd head football coach on Jan. 3, 2008, a day after that impressive triumph.



He followed up the Oklahoma victory with three consecutive nine-win seasons, including trips to the Meineke Car Care, Gator and Champs Sports Bowls. Stewart’s nine victories in 2008 represented the most ever by a first-year Mountaineer coach, and his 28-12 career mark included a .700 winning percentage that ranks fifth among all WVU grid coaches. His Big East championship in 2010 was the school’s sixth at the time. The players Stewart recruited won another Big East title and Orange Bowl victory over Clemson in the next season in 2011.



Stewart coached 30 players to All-Big East accolades in his three seasons, including quarterback Pat White, who became the NCAA’s all-time leading rushing quarterback and the first in college football history to win four straight bowl games as a starting quarterback. Stewart saw 18 of his West Virginia players drafted by NFL teams, and he led two Mountaineer squads to Top 25 finishes in 2008 and 2009, while his 2010 team was ranked for several weeks during the season.



Prior to being named head coach at WVU, Stewart spent eight seasons on the West Virginia staff under WVU coaches Don Nehlen and Rich Rodriguez, working with the Mountaineer tight ends and serving as associate head coach in 2007 after spending the prior seven seasons coaching the quarterbacks. He also had the role of special teams coordinator under Rodriguez. It was Nehlen who brought him back to his home state in 2000 as quarterbacks coach, and Stewart helped guide the squad to a winning season and Music City Bowl victory in Nehlen’s final game.



His lengthy coaching resume began at Fairmont State, where he was a student assistant coach for a season, before becoming an assistant coach at Sistersville (W.Va.) High in 1975. In 1977, he moved to Salem College, where he was an assistant football and head track coach for two seasons. In 1979, he moved to North Carolina; he was later an assistant at Marshall (1980), William & Mary (1981-83), Navy (1984), North Carolina (1985-87), Arizona State (1988-89) and Air Force (1990-93). Aside from the 10 bowl games he coached in West Virginia, Stewart was also a part of bowl squads at North Carolina and Air Force.



In 1994, Stewart became head football coach at VMI for three seasons. His 1995 team was the highest scoring squad in VMI history, and Keydet running back Thomas Haskins set a I-AA rushing record with 5,349 yards.



Stewart came to WVU in 2000 from the Canadian Football League, where he served as offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1999, tutoring two all-conference receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher. While he was offensive line coach for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in 1998, Stewart’s line blocked for Mike Pringle, the first 2,000-yard rusher in CFL history.



Stewart was a 1975 education graduate from Fairmont State where he was a three-year letterman and team captain for the WVIAC champions in 1974. He later earned his master’s degree in health and physical education from WVU in 1977. Before transferring to Fairmont State, Stewart played on the WVU freshman football team under legendary coach Bobby Bowden and was the head coach of the Mountaineers against Florida State in Bowden’s final game in the 2010 Gator Bowl.



Stewart died on May 21, 2012, leaving behind his bride, Karen, and son, Blaine, a former WVU assistant coach and now assistant coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Darrell Whitmore

Darrell Whitmore was a two-sport standout in baseball and football from 1988-91.

The Front Royal, Virginia, native played two seasons in right field with the Mountaineers in 1989-90, hitting .392 with 78 hits and 72 RBI in 199 at-bats. Whitmore had 18 doubles, 11 home runs and three triples with 57 runs scored and six stolen bases, playing in 71 games with 60 starts. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and to the All-East Region Second Team in 1990.



Whitmore owns school records with a .678 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage. He set the school record with a .392 career batting average, which now ranks second all-time. Whitmore had a .757 slugging percentage in 1990, which now ranks fifth all-time and was second in program history at that time and posted a .559 on-base percentage in 1990, which now ranks fourth all-time.



He was drafted by the then-Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 1990 Major League Baseball draft and played professionally from 1990-2002. Whitmore played in 112 games in three MLB seasons with the then-Florida Marlins, recording 67 hits, 31 runs scored, 11 doubles, five home runs and two triples.



Whitmore was also a four-year starter at safety on the Mountaineer football team, recording 14 career interceptions and left as the career leader in passes broken up with 21.



He started 11 games as a freshman, finishing as the fifth-leading tackler on the team with 61 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and was second on the team with four interceptions. In his first collegiate game, Whitmore caused a fumbled punt and blocked a punt, resulting in two WVU touchdowns. He missed the Fiesta Bowl game versus Notre Dame with a broken leg suffered against Syracuse in the final game of the regular season.



Whitmore started all 12 games as a sophomore and was the fifth-leading tackler on the team with 68 stops, including 42 unassisted. He had a pair of interceptions at Maryland, including one on the first drive of the second half that set up WVU’s first score, and his second came with just four seconds remaining to stop the Terps’ final drive. Whitmore had nine tackles in the 1989 Gator Bowl.



In 1990, he started all 11 games as a junior and was the fifth-leading tackler with 64, including 35 unassisted. Whitmore finished with a team-leading four interceptions and had three interceptions against Cincinnati, setting a new Mountaineer Field record. He also recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble against the Bearcats. Whitmore had a career-high 13 tackles at South Carolina. He was named AP All-East and honorable mention All-America.



In 1991, Whitmore played 11 games and started seven as a senior, finishing with 23 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions.



Whitmore and his wife, Ayanna, have two children, Gianna and Ava.

Petra Zublasing

Petra Zublasing is the only Mountaineer to win three individual NCAA Championships during her career from 2011-13, claiming the 2012 air rifle title while winning the air rifle and smallbore disciplines the following season in 2013.

Her 2013 success marked the first time in WVU program history a student-athlete had won both disciplines in the same season. She was the third Mountaineer to win titles in back-to-back seasons.

She was a five-time NCAA All-American, claiming the honor in air rifle three times (2011, 2012, 2013) and smallbore twice (2012, 2013). Zublasing was named the 2013 College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Shooter of the Championship in 2013.

Zublasing claimed two Great America Rifle Conference individual titles, winning smallbore in 2012 before earning the air rifle title in 2013. She was named the conference Shooter of the Year in 2012 and 2013 while adding Senior of the Year honors in 2013. She also added All-GARC First team honors in air rifle, smallbore and combined score in 2012 and 2013.

At the time, Zublasing was one of seven Mountaineers to record a perfect 600 in air rifle and still holds the third-best mark in smallbore with a 595. Her 120-shot aggregate match score of 1193 was a program best, while her 120-shot season average of 1187.67 also topped the program record book. Her 60-shot smallbore season average of 591.33 is the second-best in program history.

Academically, she was a three-time CRCA Academic All-American (2011-2012-2013) and earned CoSIDA (now CSC) Academic At Large All-American honors in 2012 and 2013 while also adding all-district II honors during both seasons. She added an Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2013.

Zublasing competed at two Olympics, representing Italy, qualifying in 2012 for the London Games and then again in 2016 at the Rio Games. During her first Olympics, she finished in 12th place in air rifle and smallbore. At Rio, she narrowly missed the podium in smallbore, taking home a fourth-place finish and a 437.7 score. She added a 33^rd-place finish in air rifle.

Zublasing closed out her WVU career by earning the 2013 Order of Augusta Award, winning the Red Brown Cup in 2012 and 2013 and being named the 2013 WVU Outstanding Senior.

Zublasing is a native of Appiano, Italy. She graduated from West Virginia University in 2013 with a degree in civil engineering.

After nearly two decades of competing on the world stage in rifle, she earned another degree in visual communications from Istituto Europeo di Design, where her designs have been used in a wide range of applications from children to scientific illustrations.

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Knights cruise past Cornell 86-69; Yungtum records career-best 17 rebound double-double

Published

12 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Men’s basketball (10-2, 2-1 A-R-C) closed 2025 with an 86-69 road win over Cornell College (1-10, 0-2 MWC) behind a 29 point and 17 rebound double-double performance from Ethan Yungtum.

Game Summary

First Half
- Wartburg jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes after five points from Ethan Yungtum and two from Gabe Trujillo
- Yungtum and Luke Ladwig each connected on three pointers along with a bucket from Austin Bienemann to take a 18-7 lead after six minutes of play
- Drake Wemark and Yungtum each scored four points over the next three minutes to keep the Knights in front 27-11
- After Cornell cut the lead to 10 points, Trujillo nailed a three pointer with 4:48 left in the half
- The Knights closed the half on an 8-3 run behind scores from Yungtum, Wemark and Kaleb Ferguson
  - Wartburg led 44-36 at halftime

Second Half
- Cornell outscored Wartburg 8-5 in the first three minutes of the second half after scores from Trujillo and Cael Schramm
- Wartburg brought the lead to 57-38 following three pointers from Yungtum and Ladwig and a score from Bienemann
- Lyle Olsen connected on another Wartburg three pointer as the Knights held a 64-45 lead with just over 10 minutes left to play
- The Knights continued to hold their lead over the next three minutes as both Trujillo and Bienemann scored four points each
- Bienemann had back-to-back dunks for Wartburg to push the Knights’ lead to 77-58 with 4:46 to go
- The Knights continued to match Cornell’s scoring in the final minutes as Yungtum, Bienemann and Ladwig combined for nine points to close out an 86-69 win for Wartburg

Top Performers

Notes/Streaks

Wartburg moves to 2-0 over Cornell this season
- First time with multiple wins over Cornell in one season since 2018-19

10^th double double of the season for Yungtum

Four blocks is a career high for Schramm
- 12 blocks over his last five games

10 assists ties Ladwig’s career best
- Fifth career game with 10 assists (second this season)

Career high in rebounds for Yungtum (17)
- Most by any Knight this season

Third time this season with 10+ threes made as a team

Seventh 20+ point scoring performance for Yungtum this season

Next Time Out
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 3 for a home matchup against Nebraska Wesleyan University at 4 p.m.

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Meet the 2025 Huntsville Times All-Region volleyball team

Published

30 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Huntsville area volleyball teams were well-represented in the AHSAA Elite Eight championship tournament with 11 teams earning spots this season.

Class 5A Guntersville won its sixth state championship while Class 6A Hazel Green advanced to the championship match before falling to Spanish Fort and Austin finished in the Class 7A final four.

Other teams winning to the final eight were Class 7A Bob Jones, which was the only team to push class champion McGill-Toolen to five sets since a Sept. 4 five-setter against Class 6A champion Spanish Fort. Class 6A Hartselle, Class 5A Arab, Brewer and Boaz, Class 4A Madison County and West Morgan and Class 3A Elkmont also earned Elite Eight spots.

The Huntsville Times All-Region team is compiled by the AL.com high school sports staff with input from coaches.

AL.com named Player of the Year, Attacker MVP, Defensive MVP, Setter MVP and Coach of the Year. Award winners are listed separately, but considered first-team selections.

HUNTSVILLE ALL-REGION VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Players listed alphabetically)

Adily Alberti, Danville

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist

358 kills, 21 blocks, 332 digs, 24 assists, 36 aces

College: Undecided

Charlie Barnes, Austin

5-11, Sr., Outside Hitter

484 kills, 48 blocks, 408 digs, 42 assists, 76 aces

College: Bevill

McKenzie Doner, Elkmont

Jr., Outside Hitter/Middle

283 kills, 29 blocks, 374 digs, 23 assists, 72 aces

College: Undecided

Caroline Coulter, Decatur

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter

441 kills, 21 blocks, 303 digs, 21 assists, 31 aces

College: Undecided

Aylah Duvall, Hazel Green

6-0, Jr., Middle

268 kills, 72 blocks, 191 digs, 22 assists, 27 aces

College: Undecided

Blakely Faulkner, Brewer

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

557 kills, 18 blocks, 653 digs, 82 assists, 84 aces

College: Undecided

Emani Green, James Clemens

5-4, Sr., Libero

402 digs, 277 assists, 44 aces

College: Alabama State

Riley Green, Lindsay Lane

5-4, Jr., Setter

1,020 assists, 54 kills, 299 digs, 52 aces

College: Undecided

Addy Gustafson, Madison County

5-8, Sr., Setter

1,194 assists, 61 kills, 35 blocks, 426 digs, 40 aces

College: Undecided

Layla Hanvy, Decatur Heritage

6-0, Jr., Middle

254 kills, 35 blocks, 210 digs, 32 assists, 33 aces

College: Undecided

Rylee Jo Harbin, New Hope

5-4, Jr., Libero, 44 kills, 0 blocks, 483 digs, 80 assists, 40 aces

College: Undecided

Layla Hendrix, Arab

6-0, Jr., Middle

435 kills, 35 blocks, 91 digs, 69 aces

College: Undecided

Maddy Johnson, Hartselle

5-7, Sr., Setter

Region second-best 1,518 assists, region-best 24.48 assists per match, 181 kills, 22 blocks, 421 digs, 68 aces

College: Undecided

Kalyn Jones, Lindsay Lane

5-10, Jr., Outside Hitter

Region second-best 654 kills, region-best 13.91 kills per match, 20 blocks, 333 digs, 27 assists, region second-best 102 aces

College: Undecided

Mya Lacey, Bob Jones

5-10, Sr., Right Side/Setter

396 kills, 479 assists, 59 blocks, 344 digs, 79 aces

College: AUM

Carleigh Lanford, Madison County

5-10, Sr., Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist

574 kills, 34 blocks, 529 digs, 52 aces

College: Undecided

Abby Langlois, Priceville

6-1, Sr., Outside Hitter

435 kills, 96 blocks, 325 digs, 43 aces

College: West Florida

Italey May, Guntersville

5-8, So., Outside Hitter

451 kills, 29 blocks, 295 digs, 40 assists, 19 aces

College: Undecided

Brenna McReath, Hartselle

5-9, Jr., Right Side

523 kills, 62 blocks, 396 digs, 59 assists, region second-best 109 aces

College: Undecided

Kennedy Moss, Huntsville

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

376 kills, 38 blocks, 270 digs, 14 assists, 42 aces

College: Undecided

Bekah Mouser, Madison Academy

5-6, Jr., Outside Hitter

314 kills, 26 blocks, 392 digs, 30 aces

College: Undecided

McKenna Phillips, Buckhorn

5-8, Jr., Outside Hitter

359 kills, 65 blocks, 329 digs, 11 assists, 44 aces

College: Undecided

Brooke Reeves, Grissom

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

262 kills, 40 blocks, 205 digs, 29 aces

College: Calhoun

Elizabeth Rohling, St. John Paul II

5-10, Jr., Setter

188 kills, 22 blocks, 378 digs, 836 assists, 70 aces

College: Undecided

Shayna Russell, DAR

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

476 kills, 22 blocks, 453 digs, 52 assists, 69 aces

College: Snead

Olivia Saint, Hazel Green

6-3, Sr., Right Side

306 kills, 55 blocks, 103 digs, 18 assists, 18 aces

College: Freed Hardeman

Haniyah Standridge, West Morgan

5-7, So., Outside Hitter

Region-best 723 kills, region second-best 12.25 kills per match, 35 blocks, 335 digs, 53 aces

College: Undecided

Ka’miah Walker, Athens

5-8, Sr., Outside Hitter

425 kills, 6 blocks, 255 digs, 17 assists, 56 aces

College: Calhoun

Amari Woods, Austin

5-10, Jr., Outside Hitter

374 kills, 39 blocks, 329 digs, 57 assists, 45 aces

College: Undecided

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

AHSAA Volleyball 5A Championship — Guntersville’s Mary George Vandergriff sets the ball against Montgomery Catholic during the AHSAA Class 5A volleyball state championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com) Vasha Hunt

Mary George Vandergriff, Guntersville

5-8, Sr., Setter

Region-best 1,671 assists, region second-best 24.22 assists per match, 135 kills, 39 blocks, 426 digs, 86 aces

College: UAH

ATTACKER MVP

AHSAA Volleyball — Bob Jones’ Kendall Buckley celebrates point against McGill-Toolen during Class 7A play in the AHSAA state volleyball tournament at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)Vasha Hunt

Kendall Buckley, Bob Jones

6-0, Sr., Outside Hitter

476 kills, 57 blocks, 424 digs, 33 assists, 73 aces

College: UNA

DEFENSIVE MVP

AHSAA Volleyball 6A Championship — Hazel Green coach CoCo Tate Crutcher works with Camryn Collier during the AHSAA Class 6A volleyball state championship against Spanish Fort at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com) Vasha Hunt

Camryn Collier, Hazel Green

5-7, Sr., Libero

568 digs, 132 assists, 23 aces

College: Calhoun

SETTER MVP

AHSAA Volleyball North Super Regional Tournament — Austin’s Maggie Jae Marsh sets the ball during Class 7A play in the AHSAA North Super Regional volleyball tournament at the Finley Center in Hoover, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Vasha Hunt | preps@al.com)Vasha Hunt

Maggie Jae Marsh, Austin

5-8, Jr., Setter

1,174 assists, 195 kills, 56 blocks, 380 digs, 82 aces

College: Undecided

COACH OF THE YEAR

Melissa-Paul Gardner, Guntersville

HONORABLE MENTION

Outside Hitter/Right Side: Sydney Jarmon, Guntersville, Sr.; Emma Guffey, DAR, So.; Isabelle Sutton, Madison Academy, Sr.; Sydney Wallace, New Hope, Sr.; Mackenzie Martin, New Hope, Sr.; Makenzie Irmen, Brewer, Sr.; Emma- Glenn Roby, Decatur, Jr.; Lyndie Springer, Hartselle, Sr.; Abigail Preuitt, Hartselle, Sr.; Rhyan Holloway, St. John Paul II, Sr.; Aliyah Hollingsworth, Boaz, Jr.; Ella Watts, Bob Jones, So.; Julia Celani, James Clemens, So. ; Destiny Burns, Athens Bible, Sr.; Emma Underwood, Elkmont, Sr.; Caroline Cofield, Boaz, Jr.; Alice Morrison, Lindsay Lane, Jr.; Harper Jane Douglas, Decatur, Sr.

Middle: Izzy Fearnside, Madison County, Jr.; Lilly Roberts, Guntersville, Sr.; Shiloh Stanley, Guntersville, So.; Breanna Gentry, Boaz, Jr.; Raygen Muse, West Morgan, Jr.

Setter: Josie Childress, Priceville, Sr.; Madison Moore, Grissom, Jr.; Kylie Murrell, Athens Bible, Fr.; Lily Nelson, Hazel Green, So.; Brooklynn Gonzalez, Buckhorn, Jr.; Sarai McKenzie, Buckhorn, Jr.; Millie Lackey, Arab, Jr.; Rose Garner, Decatur Heritage, Jr.; Gillian Head, DAR, Jr. ; Sarah Bacon, Madison Academy, So.

Defensive Specialist/Libero: Isabella Grant, St. John Paul II, Jr.; Alley Emerson, Brewer, So.; Kayden Gronczniak, Arab, Sr.; Aubree Lagunas, Athens, Jr.; Paige Bradshaw, Madison County, Fr.

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H.S. INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: GLOW region athletes shine in RWTL meet at Nazareth University | Sports

Published

4 hours ago

January 1, 2026

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LANE ONE: Projecting the top stories of 2026 (10 to 6), with questions about Russia, Israel, esports, doping, college chaos and, of course, track & field

Published

5 hours ago

January 1, 2026

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★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★

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≡ TOP STORIES of 2026: 10 to 6 ≡

The post-Olympic year of 2025 is done and a Winter Olympic year is getting started in 2026. What will the top stories be in the new year? Time for predictions, or – let’s say – projections of the issues that will garner attention and interest. Some good and some not good at all.

10. Russia, Israel and access to sport
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and is still fighting its war of aggression. Hamas, the ruling body in Gaza, massacred more than 1,200 Israelis in a coordinated attack on 7 October 2023 and took 250 hostages and Israel responded with a comprehensive attack, leading to a fragile “cease fire,” in effect since 10 October 2025.

In 2022, the International Olympic Committee declared quickly that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in international competitions, including teams. An IOC plan to allow “neutral” individuals who have shown no public support for the war was developed at the end of 2023 and implemented for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In December, the IOC decided that Russian and Belarusian “youth” competitors and teams can compete internationally without restrictions, subject to federation rules and procedures.

In October 2025, Indonesia – after giving assurances earlier – refused to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The IOC ended all discussions about future events in Indonesia and the government has still not said it will allow Israeli participation in the future.

At the Olympic Summit on 11 December 2025, the Olympic stakeholders “reaffirmed that athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organisations.”

So what happens in 2026? Russia and Belarus appear to be in a re-entry phase, but what about Israel and other IOC-recognized countries that have been refused visas, such as Kosovo? And what of the increasing scrutiny on entry into the United States, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June and July?

9. The IOC and esports?
A 12-year deal between the IOC and the Saudi Arabian National Olympic Committee to create and stage a new, “Olympic Esports Games” was announced with great fanfare in July 2024.

In October 2025, the deal was dead, with the announcement noting in part:

“The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games, taking the feedback from the ‘Pause and Reflect’ process into account, and pursue a new partnership model.

“This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic Movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible.”

What does the IOC do now? Under prior President Thomas Bach (GER), a link to the e-sports community was created, but has stalled. As he noted at the time, the structure of competitive gaming is much different from Olympic sports, with commercial publishers instead of International Federations.

There are perhaps more than three billion active gamers worldwide, but many fewer registered professionals. Will new President Kirsty Coventry’s IOC seek out engagement, as Bach did? Find a blend with active sport contested online, a la the World Rowing Indoor Championships? Do nothing?

Remember this line in “The Godfather” from 1972? Looking to the future, consigliere Tom Hagen told his boss, Vito Corleone, “if we don’t get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have; I mean not now, but ten years from now.”

8. Collegiate sport still in chaos
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee stated that “75% of U.S. Olympians will have competed collegiately as part of their journey to Team USA” for the Paris 2024 Games and that the American collegiate system is a bedrock of the U.S. athlete development program.

In 2025, collegiate athletics surged into chaos as pay-for-play was fully implemented, firstly and mostly for college football and also significantly impacting college basketball for men and women. The now-legal payments to players, and barely-regulated booster pay on top of that, plus the costs for coaches, support and facilities, threatens to crowd out all other sports, including Olympic mainstays such as track & field, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics and many others.

The NCAA is looking to Congress for legislative support and some collegiate conferences and the USOPC are beyond the SCORE Act, which requires that the large football-playing schools maintain a 16-sport program which will ensure continued funding of non-revenue sports, which are essentially everything other than football and basketball at most schools.

But the SCORE Act (H.R. 4312) and competing bills have not made it across the finish line yet and do not appear to be close. The Trump Administration is in favor of a Congressional fix to the college sport mess, but has many other priorities.

There is a wide agreement that collegiate sport’s structure is broken, but how to fix it is not clear. We’re here to help: The Sports Examiner proposed a comprehensive fix in 2024, detailed here.

7. What about the Enhanced Games?
Under the leadership of then-IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch (ESP), the World Anti-Doping Agency was formed in 1999 to take the global lead against doping in sport, on competitive, ethical and medical safety grounds.

In 2025, a new competition was announced, doing away with doping tests and encouraging “enhanced” athletes to compete in a showcase of “superhumans,” titled the Enhanced Games, planned to be held at Resorts World in Las Vegas, Nevada in late May of 2026.

Widely condemned, the event is to feature a small number of sprint events in track & field and swimming, plus weightlifting, all trying to break world records set by athletes who have competed in competitions which follow the World Anti-Doping Code.

Each event is to have a $500,000 prize purse, with $250,000 for the winner; world-record bonuses will pay $250,000 except for the 50 m Free swim and 100 m dash, which will have $1 million payouts for records.

WADA and many other organizations have labeled the event dangerous and unethical. The promoters have had trouble signing up athletes, who will be instantly banned from Olympic and International Federation competitions. So far, nine swimmers, three track athletes and two weightlifters have agreed to participate, and the Enhanced Games had a lawsuit alleging restraint of trade against WADA, World Aquatics and USA Swimming was dismissed.

But the Enhanced Games got a $40 million lifeline in a complex transaction in November, with the promise of more, with a product line to follow which would be the basis of the business going forward.

Will the Enhanced Games be held? If so, will anyone care? Many in the Olympic world have disowned it, but there will be attention paid to see what happens – if anything – in May.

6. Will ATHLOS succeed where Grand Slam Track failed?
One of the big questions of 2025 was whether Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track would succeed. It did not, staging only three of its planned four meets, selling less than 65,000 tickets across eight meet days and staring at $31.4 million in debt at the end of 2025.

Now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware, Grand Slam Track is trying to settle its debts – it owes its athletes about $7 million – and get re-energized with new funding. It will have an uphill climb to regain any trust within the track & field community. But it is trying.

Getting ready to enter the fray, apparently, is ATHLOS, a project of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who staged two showy, end-of-season meets in New York in 2024 and 2025, with a limited event program, strong athlete pay and integrated concerts which had more fan attention than the meets.

Ohanian has promised an ATHLOS “league” beginning in 2026:

“The ATHLOS League introduces a team-based competition model designed for and by the modern athlete. Taking place after the conclusion of the World Athletics season, ATHLOS will feature multiple meets hosted in major cities, culminating in a final championship event.”

The ownership is to include athletes such as Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall. That’s all there is to say at present. The details, with Grand Slam Track’s experience as a cautionary tale, will be fascinating.

Coming New Year’s Day: our projected top-five stories of 2026, including a fight over science and two of the world mega-events.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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Sports

Texas A&M Volleyball makes USA Today’s Top Women’s Moments list

Published

8 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Dec. 31, 2025, 8:16 p.m. CT

When it comes to recent college athletics, few stories can match the rise of the Texas A&M volleyball program—a team that went from unranked three years ago to national champions. Their remarkable climb just earned major national recognition, as one of the country’s biggest publications placed their title run among the top women’s sports moments of the year.

On Monday, USA Today released its 2025 Top Ten Women’s Sports Moments, highlighting the most unforgettable achievements across the country. Women’s athletics delivered countless headline‑worthy performances this year, but when it came to upsets, nothing topped Texas A&M’s five‑set stunner over No. 1 Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies toppled the undefeated favorite on its home floor, in front of a sea of red, to punch their ticket to the Final Four—then dominated the rest of the field on their way to the program’s first‑ever national championship.

Under head coach Jamie Morrison, A&M’s fast‑paced, aggressive style overwhelmed opponents all season. Just as important, Morrison instilled a belief in his team that they belonged on the sport’s biggest stage—and that they were capable of winning it all. The Aggies played like it, too.

Their takedown of the sport’s juggernaut didn’t just shift the tournament. It put the entire volleyball world on notice. And now, that moment has been cemented nationally, earning the No. 10 spot on USA Today’s list of the top women’s sports moments of the year.

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Sports

2025 Volleyball Year in Review – UCF Athletics

Published

9 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

A PERIOD OF FIRSTS AND MILESTONES

Botsford had to wait just over 100 minutes to secure his first win as head coach at UCF, as the Knights disposed of Chattanooga in four sets in the 2025 season opener. The contest commenced the Black and Gold Classic and an 11-match non-conference slate. It was also the first glance at the swarm of depth present at The Venue, with five Knights registering five or more kills.

Sweeps over Norfolk State and UC Riverside preceded the first road trip of the slate at the 305 Challenge in Miami. UCF demolished Statson in the first contest, outscoring the Hatters by 40 points across just 66 minutes of action. A Saturday night tilt with eventual NCAA second-round participants, Miami, saw the Knights beaten by a combined six points, a learning opportunity for the squad and a glimpse of the level of competition expected in the Big 12.

The weekend capper against hosts FIU featured 13 aces from UCF and the first breakout from English, who boasted eight and the most by a Knight since 2021. From then, the FGCU transfer never left the NCAA national rankings while widening her gap as the active leader in division one.

Returning home for three matchups before opening Big 12 action with Baylor, the Black and Gold produced their most complete performance of the season to open the Knights Invite, sweeping a red-hot Arkansas State team behind a formidable defensive display. The ‘Nauts then took care of business against Florida Atlantic in their first space match of the year in four sets. However, the highs of the past 48 hours were erased after a difficult defeat to Brown, a disappointing result with conference play just two days away.

The Big 12’s most historic program, Baylor, handed the Knights a three-set loss, with a contested third-set still supplying indications of future ranked contests. Before the rest of league play resumed, UCF ventured to the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, striving to bounce back into the win column.

English was at the forefront of a well-rounded display against Memphis, tallying a career-high nine aces, tied for the second most by an athlete in a four-set NCAA match this season, to set the tone. A day later, the Knights disposed of the hosts in another four-set clinic, with first-year’s Haley and Porter playing substantial time in the contest. With Botsford’s first non-conference slate with the Knights completed, a 9-2 clip underlined the first sign of growth compared to a 7-3 record a year prior.

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